Surprise
by Immac
Summary: Mako and Bolin try to surprise Korra on her birthday.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Mako and Bolin try to surprise Korra on her birthday.**

**A/N: Hey, guys. So, I'm not entirely sure where this would fit in the continuity. Some time after episode 9, I guess, but it's kind of hazy as to where after that. But it's winter. Because there's snow. So, yeah. _LOK _is not mine (sadly), blah, blah, blah. Go read. - Immac**

* * *

Mako peeped his head around the corner.

"They got Korra out of the house, right?" he whispers to Bolin. Bolin nods. The two brothers scamper towards the kitchen as quietly as they can, so as not to wake the acolytes or Tenzin and Pema. Through the window, the early morning grey sunlight gleamed off of the statue of Avatar Aang. Everything was still and silent.

"So… what does she like?" Bolin asks as they begin fumbling through the various pots and cans on the counter. Mako squats to poke through a cabinet, then realizes that he has no idea.

"I guess we just do whatever we can find," he shrugs.

* * *

"So you're sure the Equalists took her this way?" Korra asks skeptically as Jinora and Meelo lead the way down a steep hill towards a tunnel.

"Skoochy said so," Jinora shrugs, "and I don't really see any other options."

Korra raises an eyebrow skeptically as they approach a large, metal gate covering the entrance. Planting both feet in the ground, she bends the snow around her, striking and slashing the gate with the water until a small square about the size of Meelo fell open. Korra let the excess water fall to her feet, and she followed the air bender kids into the tunnel where they swore the Equalists were keeping Ikki.

* * *

"Hey, Bo," Mako calls as he reaches for a bag of dried berries. "Korra likes fruit, right?"

"I guess," Bolin shrugs. He holds up a bag. "I found some sky bison oats!" he proclaims eagerly. Mako looks at him in disbelief.

"We're making _cake_, Bolin, not oatmeal. Try to find… baking things. Like…" he reaches into a cupboard and pulls out a container. "Flour. Flour is baking stuff, right?"

Bolin doesn't respond, just raises an eyebrow.

"At least I'm not offering to feed her sky bison food," Mako mutters, placing the container on the counter.

* * *

"Which path do you think she's on?" Korra asks. Four tunnels stood in front of them. Jinora looked at them, contemplating them.

"The loud one!" Meelo exclaims eagerly. Korra gives him a look that says _Be quiet or they'll find us._ Jinora gives him a look that says _STOP TALKING NOW._

"If we're going by noise, that one sounds the loudest," Korra gestures to the one that's second from the far right with the fire she'd bent to light their path. "We could try there."

Jinora nods. She glares at Meelo as they fall in line behind Korra.

* * *

"Okay, hand me a spoonful of cactus juice," Mako instructs, struggling to remember the recipe they'd snatched from Bei Fong's house before she'd taken it back.

Bolin squeezes the water out of the cactus onto a spoon and hands it to his brother. Leaning forward, he sniffs the inside, and looks up, saying, "Are you sure we're supposed to put this in cake? It smells… kinda weird."

"I can't remember, but we'll figure it out. How much can one spoon hurt, anyway?" he says as Bolin sticks his finger into the cactus, licking the water inside.

"Well, what's next, then?" Bolin asks, licking his lips. He scrunches up his nose at the odd taste, then tosses the cactus out the window.

"Uh…" Mako mutters, closing his eyes and struggling to remember. "I think it was two Buzzard-Bee eggs."

Bolin glances into the cabinets, looking for any kind of eggs. He then blinks and stands up.

"We don't have those here. This is a vegetarian island," he says.

"We're idiots."

* * *

"Shh…" Korra whispers as they glance inside. Two chi-blockers are standing in the middle of the room, ordering different carts to different locations. Korra waits until their backs are turned, then blasts a fireball in their direction. Both fall to the ground, coughing and sputtering.

"Not again!" one growls as he struggles to his feet. Korra shoves Jinora and Meelo towards the cart headed to the jail. Before the chi-blockers can get to them, Jinora airbends the cart into motion, knocking the Equalists backwards in the process.

"Nice one," Korra says approvingly. Jinora smiles.

The cart stops at the prison, and as soon as it does, the chi blockers are attacking them again. Korra waterbends one against the wall, freezing it there, and turns to the other, creating a hole under him in the earth and encasing him up to his neck. They both groan, struggling to move, but she's locked them into their respective elemental jails tightly. Jinora and Meelo follow her down the hallway, looking in each cell for Ikki.

"Where is she?" Korra murmurs. None of the cells appeared to hold the bubbly seven year old. Besides, the hallway was too quiet. Ikki was never quiet. Korra held her breath, hoping that she wasn't too late. At the end of the hallway, she turned back to face the other two air bender kids. "I don't see her."

"But she has to be here," Jinora says. "Where else would they keep her?"

"I don't know. But we'll find her," Korra assures the younger girl. "In the meantime," she adds, turning towards the rest of the cells filled with de-bended people, "let's get the rest of them out."

She looks up and away from Jinora and Meelo, hearing her gasp leap from her throat, along with theirs. Facing them in the middle of the hallway, hands folded together behind his back, almost politely, is the one man they hadn't accounted for when coming here. Amon chuckles.

"Welcome, Avatar," he says.

This wasn't part of the plan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Mako and Bolin try to surprise Korra on her birthday.**

**Disclaimer: _LOK_ does not belong to me. I just love the characters in it to death. Except Tarrlok. I hope he drinks Orange Juice after brushing his teeth.**

* * *

Bolin paces around the kitchen. Mako has been gone almost 20 minutes already, and he's getting impatient. _Something must've gone wrong_, he thought. _He got caught smuggling eggs onto the island. He's been captured by Equalists. Another moped crashed into him and he fell in love with the driver again. _

The door slowly opens, and Asami pokes her head in, rubbing her green eyes with her wrist.

"Bolin? What are you doing up this early? It's 5 in the morning," she yawns.

"Uh, nothing," he stammers, trying to hide the bowl of what appeared to be inedible gruel behind his back. She raises an eyebrow at him and tries to look around him.

"Bolin, what's in the bowl?" she asks skeptically.

"Nothing! Nothing at all! I mean, like, air. I guess. But that's really more surrounding it than in it, right?" he laughs. She glares at him. "I mean, come on! It's not like there's cake batter for Korra's birthday cake in there! Pssh! That's just totally ridiculous!"

"Korra's birthday cake?" Asami asks, eyebrows scrunching together. "You know how to bake?"

"Well, not really. But we're figuring it out. You know, sort of," he shrugs.

"We?" she says, eyes going wide.

"Well, Mako was helping. He went out into the city to get some Buzzard-Bee eggs. I'm kind of waiting for him to get back," Bolin explains.

"Mako's doing this, too?" she groans.

"It's just cake. Here, you wanna taste the batter?" he offers, digging a spoon out of a drawer and dipping it into the bowl before handing it to her. Asami cautiously takes it, then sticks the end in her mouth.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" she asks, trying not to gag.

* * *

Korra took a step back, putting her arms out to shield Meelo and Jinora.

"Let them go, Amon. Take me, but let them go," she growls. Meelo whimpers beside her, and Jinora hides herself behind the Avatar.

"Just what are you doing here?" he asks slowly, taking a step towards them. Korra pushes the kids back a step.

"Where is she? Where's Ikki?" Korra demands. Jinora gulps.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Give it up, Amon. I know you took her."

"Uh, Korra…?" Jinora starts awkwardly.

* * *

"Okay, I got the eggs and-" Mako says as he enters the room, stopping suddenly when he sees his girlfriend looking up at him. "Asami! You're awake."

"Yeah," she says, smirking a little bit. "I am."

"What're you doing up so early?" he stammers, feeling his face go red a little as he hides the bag of groceries behind his back.

"One of the ring-tailed winged-lemurs flew into my room this morning with half a cactus on its head. I wanted to see what was going on."

Bolin smiles weakly, scratching the back of his neck and leaning out to see if the cactus he'd tossed out the window was still there. It wasn't.

"Asami," Mako starts with a sigh, but she cuts him off.

"You guys are horrible at baking. Let me help you," she says. "Where's Korra, anyway?" Asami asks as she takes the bags from Mako's hands and sets them on the counter.

"We got Tenzin's kids to distract her. They said they'd figure something out that would get her out of the house all morning," Mako shrugs.

* * *

Korra groans, beating the bars with her fist.

"Struggle all you want, Avatar. These bars aren't going to burn, and you don't have anything to bend with. Solid platinum. Not even your little air benders or your beloved chief could knock it open," Amon says, chuckling. Korra places her head against the metal, panting, before looking up at him and growling in fury. She blows fire in his face, making him laugh, but not even move.

Slowly, ominously, he moves towards her face, holding his hand out to touch her forehead. She screams and jumps back, out of his reach.

"Korra!" Jinora and Meelo yelp.

Amon just laughs again, turning to leave.

"Not now, Korra, but soon," he promises as he walks away.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts? Predictions? Critiques? Praise? Indifference? Let me know in the reviews! - Immac**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, yesterday's episode was freaking AMAZING. I don't ever react during TV shows, but yesterday, I was cheering, clapping, screaming 'NO!', freaking out, the whole shebang. Anyways, I still have no idea when this fits into canon, but Tenzin and family, as well as Team Avatar, are living on the island which is NOT inhabited with baddies. But, as far as the whole Rohan and Iroh 2.0 thing, Rohan doesn't matter because, even if he does show up, he can't do anything on account of he's a baby. And Iroh 2.0 just isn't here because he has more important things to do than celebrate birthdays. He's a general. Also, his hair is too pretty for him to be voiced by Dante Basco. But I digress. _LOK _is still not mine! - Immac**

* * *

Jinora sat on the bed in the cell, swinging her legs while Korra paced and Meelo snored, having fallen asleep. She kept deliberating as to whether or not she should tell Korra the truth. If she did, Korra would be mad because she lied to her, and Mako would be mad for ruining it. But if she didn't, Korra would be worried sick. Honestly, Jinora wasn't entirely sure which was a better situation. So, doing the only thing she could think to do, she just kept her mouth shut and watched as the Avatar muttered furiously under her breath as she stormed across the length of the room back and forth.

"We need to get out of here," Korra murmurs.

"You heard Amon. Solid platinum. It's not going to budge with our air bending and earth bending won't work on it, either. Plus, it looks like all the walls are made of metal, too," Jinora shrugs as Korra pulls herself onto the top bunk beside her.

"And I don't think I can learn metal bending fast enough to get us out of here before he comes back," she sighs. "Besides, even if I could, it's probably platinum, too."

"I'm sorry this happened," Jinora says, trying weakly to smile in an attempt to comfort the older girl.

"I'm sorry I brought you two along. This was too dangerous," Korra shrugs. She growls, rubbing her temples, muttering, "Your dad will kill me if we get out of this. Especially if we don't find Ikki."

Jinora bites her lip.

* * *

"This looks more… food-like," Bolin says approvingly, nodding towards the new bowl of batter that Asami had instructed them to make.

"There's a reason for that," Asami smiles.

"What now?" Mako asks, gesturing to it.

"You need to cook it for about half an hour. I think the acolytes have a stone oven out back. It needs to be at 350 degrees," she says slowly so that the boys can grasp it. Judging by the bowl of sludge they whipped up earlier, the simpler the instructions, the better. "I'm going to run into town to grab some icing and stuff to decorate it with. After half an hour passes, take it out and lay it on the counter to let it cool. Don't do anything to it until I get back, alright?"

"We're not children, Asami," Mako says patiently.

"That last bowl begs to differ," she smirks at him. He rolls his eyes. "I'll be back later," she says, turning to leave.

* * *

"Whatcha doin'?" Meelo asks. He had been shaken from his slumber a few minutes ago when Korra's irritated attempts at bending the metal led to her screaming and burning down the empty bed opposite the one where he and Jinora had been resting.

"Meditating," the Avatar replies.

"Why?"

"If I can talk to Aang, he might help me figure out a way out of this cell," she murmurs.

"You should try to access the Avatar state!" his sister says eagerly, air bending herself up onto the top bunk with them. "You could break down the door and defeat Amon!"

"Or get killed and ruin the Avatar lineage forever," Korra mutters under her breath. "Besides, if I knew how to access the Avatar state, I would've by now."

"My dad said that Grandpa Aang couldn't access the Avatar state willingly for a long time. His chakras were blocked," Jinora explains.

"His chakras?" Korra asks, finally opening her eyes and putting her hands down from where they'd been pressed together, knuckles to knuckles.

"Yeah. He was so in love with Gran-Gran and wouldn't give her up, so his seventh chakra was blocked," Jinora says. "It's so romantic!"

_Much more than that story with the genocide and suicide you told me once,_ Korra thinks.

"Maybe your chakras are blocked!" Jinora says. "We could unblock them, and then you could go Avatar State on everyone."

"Yes! We will bring your mind peace!" Meelo says in an almost disturbing voice. Both girls look at him with raised eyebrows. "And then you can be a giant glowing monster!"

"I guess it's worth a shot," Korra shrugs.

* * *

Asami and Naga wander through town, looking for a shop that's open this early in the morning. A phonograph shop is, with it's owner straightening his wares in the front window in preparation for the crowd that was sure to come later in the day. A woman at a meat kiosk is using fire bending to cook the food. Asami sighed in irritation. Mako had found somewhere to get eggs at this time of morning. Where could she find icing?

Suddenly, Naga begins racing towards something.

"Ack! Naga! Stop!" Asami screeches, struggling to restrain the polar bear dog as she runs towards a little girl. Naga does, however, listen, stopping like the non-bender requested. But she's licking the child happily. Confused, Asami dismounts the animal to look at what she'd found. To her surprise, Naga was licking one of the little air bender kids.

"Ha! Naga! It's good to see you!" the little girl says, giggling.

"Ikki?" Asami asks, eyes wide. "What're you doing here?"

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are like writer candy! Fuel my addiction! :D - Immac**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: _LOK_ is not mine. But you knew that, didn't you?**

* * *

Mako and Bolin stare in disbelief at the black, crispy, circular brick on the counter.

"We just _had_ to firebend it, didn't we?" Mako glares at his younger brother, who sheepishly smiles. Deciding it'd be easier than finding something to ignite the oven with, Bolin had suggested Mako cook it himself with his bending. But, of course, half an hour in a 350 degree oven and a sudden inferno engulfing the batter end with different results. So, now the cake they'd imagined presenting Korra with was about the same consistency as the earth discs Bolin used to train with.

"We can make another!" Bolin offers.

"Before Asami gets back? We barely got this one done," his brother says angrily. "It's ruined, Bo."

"Not completely," the younger brother says indignantly, plucking a tiny bite off the corner and popping it into his mouth. The way it crunched, as if he were chewing a mouthful of gravel, proved that Mako was right, however.

"What're we going to do?" Mako asks, running a hand through his hair and slouching against the counter, propping himself up on his elbows.

* * *

"Do you feel at peace yet?" Jinora asks. Korra's wide open eyes twitch.

"Why would I? You're asking me to think about everything I'm _scared of_," Korra says through grit teeth.

"Well, I don't exactly know how to unblock your chakras," Jinora admits, rubbing her neck. "I tried to read the scroll that explained it, but dad said it wasn't good reading material for a five year old. Then Ikki accidentally fed it to Oogi, so now I'll never get to read that part of Grandpa Aang's story."

"Then why would you suggest it?" Korra twitches. "Now I'm just tense."

"Well harness the energy and do something with it!" the younger girl says as if it were obvious. Korra glares at her. It was unusual to see Jinora, little miss brainiac, out of ideas and unsure of how to do something. They didn't need pitiful attempts at bringing Korra cosmic energy and peace. They needed a way out of the cell.

"How's she supposed to be a giant glowing monster now?" Meelo asks.

"I guess Avatar State is a no-go, then," Korra sighs with defeat. "How do we get out now?"

"I got nothing," Meelo says, slumping against the wall.

"Me neither," Jinora sighs.

* * *

"So Mako asked me and Jinora and Meelo to distract Korra while they made her a birthday surprise and he said that we could just do whatever we wanted to, so we decided to pretend that I got captured by Equalists! Jinora and Meelo and Korra are off looking for me, and they're probably going to, like, release some prisoners, or something, and then they'll come home and I'll be there and we'll have cake! Doesn't that sound like fun? Huh?" Ikki explains in a few breaths. Asami blinks. She feels the overwhelming need for a nap now.

"Well, where are they now?" Asami asks slowly, furrowing her brows together.

"I don't know. They were supposed to find me at the phonograph store a little bit ago. But they weren't there. So I left."

"They must've been captured," Asami mutters. She looks at the younger girl. "Do you know where they were looking for you?"

"Uh huh! There's this tunnel down that alley," Ikki points, "and that's where the Equalists go!"

Asami remembered going down that alleyway in search of Korra not too long ago. It did seem like a logical place for the air bender kids to take her. Asami takes Ikki by the hand and helps her mount Naga.

"Come on. We need to help them."

* * *

Pema yawns, rolling over. She's always liked mornings where she woke up and it was only her and her husband in bed, without one or more of the kids separating them. It was so rare, so she tried to savor it while she could, though, more often than not, the second she relaxed, someone would come bounding into their room.

She snuggles closer against Tenzin, who was waking up, too. He wraps his arms around his wife, kissing her cheek.

"Good morning," he whispers, his breath sending shivers down Pema's spine.

But even as she rolls herself over to properly kiss him, she notices the quiet. For a peaceful monk society, it was strange how Air Temple Island was never quiet. Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Korra made sure of that. Breaking the kiss, Pema sits up.

Tenzin sits up beside her, grabbing her hand and pressing it to his lips before sliding out of bed.

"Meditating?" Pema asks as he moves to the trunk at the end of their bed. He nods as he opens it, pulling out his robes. "Will you check on the kids for me?"

"Of course," he says. After dressing, Tenzin bids his wife farewell, leaving their room. On his way to the gazebo to meditate, he detours to the boys dormitory. Meelo's door is closed, like always, and there's a lump shaped like the child on the bed and under the covers. Same with Ikki and Jinora's room in the girls dormitory. Tenzin smiles faintly to himself as he continues to the gazebo.

* * *

"At least Pabu likes it," Bolin mutters as the fire ferret gnaws on the brick of a cake. "What if we taught him how to say happy birthday to Korra?"

"Bo, you're the only one here who speaks fire ferret," Mako reminds him harshly. "Any other ideas?"

"There's this bakery in town that I went to after the whole Amon thing. I got Korra a little cupcake thing to thank her for saving me," Bolin starts, but he stops when Mako looks at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I was there, too," his brother reminds him.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't want a cute little cupcake and a flower," Bolin says. "And you were busy with Asami, anyways. My point is, maybe we can go down to the bakery and get Korra a birthday cake from there instead."

"With what money?" Mako says, remembering that the brothers were, as always, totally broke.

"Or we can ask how to actually make one that doesn't taste like ash," Bolin revises his suggestion.

Mako considers this for a second.

"Fine. But Tenzin's probably awake by now. We have to be quiet, got it?" he says to his brother.


End file.
